Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[HiEverybirdy]

He's good at his job. Any chance of him teaching Henry a few moves?

Sounds like Henry's doing well these days, even trying to keep Ella rounded up.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

How do you cook it? We have some growing on old oaks, and I sold some of its fruit last autumn to a restaurant down the road because I didn't know what to do with it and I knew they'd know how to get the best from it, but this year I think I must try some before I sell the rest

Andre is very handsome, and a better sort of chicken in the woods than any fungus

Dipped in egg, a seasoned breading mixture of your choice, and deep fried in the pan. It's a stunningly delicious spin on chicken fingers.

Here are chicken-of-the-woods fingers (right) and cheddar-jalapeno biscuits (gluten free, so my biscuits are rarely photogenic).

And before:

This was late September in the smoky mountains/southern Appalachians where we live. We took just enough for a good meal and a portion for our mushroom-guru friend (everyone needs a mushroom guru) who we called to confirm the ID and that this tree was an oak, not a dead hemlock. As you allude, chicken of the woods is best from hardwoods. The ones on evergreens are said to be tough on the tract.

Besides morels (which I saute with ramps - also in season here right now - in olive oil with a dash each tamari soy/chicken broth/salt/pepper/pat of butter at the end), chicken of the woods are my favorite. They're comfort food.

 

[Perris]

Dipped in egg, a seasoned breading mixture of your choice, and deep fried in the pan. It's a stunningly delicious spin on chicken fingers.

Here are chicken-of-the-woods fingers (right) and cheddar-jalapeno biscuits (gluten free, so my biscuits are rarely photogenic).

View attachment 3467009

And before:

View attachment 3467010
This was late September in the smoky mountains/southern Appalachians where we live. We took just enough for a good meal and a portion for our mushroom-guru friend (everyone needs a mushroom guru) who we called to confirm the ID and that this tree was an oak, not a dead hemlock. As you allude, chicken of the woods is best from hardwoods. The ones on evergreens are said to be tough on the tract.

Besides morels (which I saute with ramps - also in season here right now - in olive oil with a dash each tamari soy/chicken broth/salt/pepper/pat of butter at the end), chicken of the woods are my favorite. They're comfort food.

thanks! I'll definitely try that. Looks delicious.

I too left most of what was growing here, but if I like the taste I think I'll be less parsimonious about taking more next year; nothing else round here seems to eat it, and great chunks that fell to the ground a month or so are still laying around on the ground. Maybe those from oaks can be tough on the GIT as well. I understand chicken-of-the-woods gets quite dry and woody over time, which may explain that. But water literally poured out of it when it was cut fresh and the chef I sold it to was enthusiastic for more!

 

[Perris]

Tax for talk on fungi

oops, got distracted again (it's been one of those days). The lambs have been arriving in the field over the last couple of days, and this little one that came right up to the fence even has its umbilicus, so must be last night's!

 

[Perris]

Try again: Chirk of course had to look the other way at the precise moment the shutter opened...

 

[Perris]

I actually took the camera into the garden to show how much damage the chickens can do to emerging perennials: this is dandelion and comfrey

and this is centaurea and primrose

The centaurea in particular takes a battering, but it will overcome it, send up 8' flower spikes, and self seed all over the place. The chickens' foraging actually stops it taking over I think.

 

[no fly zone]

Skeksis Jr looking all crazy & broody.

 

[BDutch]

Finally its Janice and Pearl who are stuck to the nest. They seem to do great. Are very tranquil and growl to any chicken or human that is trespassing. The other hens have another nestbox now to lay. And they don’t disturb Janice and Pearl. .

Yesterday I bought 11 hatching eggs. 6 normal size bantams (20 days) and 5 tiny Dutch (often need only 19 days to hatch). I put 3 bantam Sussex red porcelain and tree fake Dutch eggs under Pearl. Janice has 3 bantam Vorwerk and 2 fake Dutch eggs. Tomorrow I will change the fake Dutch for real ones.

Thumbs up that the broodies do well and the outcome will be good this time. But also happy if I get two pullets. This time I try to keep it open. But if necessary (fuss), I can divide the coop.

Mmmm. I think I make a new thread for this project. . And add a @ if you give a like here.

 

[Molpet]

thanks! I'll definitely try that. Looks delicious.

I too left most of what was growing here, but if I like the taste I think I'll be less parsimonious about taking more next year; nothing else round here seems to eat it, and great chunks that fell to the ground a month or so are still laying around on the ground. Maybe those from oaks can be tough on the GIT as well. I understand chicken-of-the-woods gets quite dry and woody over time, which may explain that. But water literally poured out of it when it was cut fresh and the chef I sold it to was enthusiastic for more!

The mushrooms we pick are the fruit. So what you leave will produce spores. You could move the fallen chunks to other dead oaks, or a dead log in your yard.

 

[Perris]

The mushrooms we pick are the fruit. So what you leave will produce spores. You could move the fallen chunks to other dead oaks, or a dead log in your yard.

yes that's why I left lots but I hadn't thought about placing the fallen bits; I assumed that by the time they fell from the tree, they'd completed their reproductive function. Also this one grows on live oak (and other trees) so I'm not sure it would take to dead wood. There are plenty of other fungi that prefer that though!